David Shearer was on TV 3 this morning, reflecting on his last year. He looked calm and quite assured, presenting a friendly and reasonable persona. He claimed the following: that the Labour leadership contest is settled; that Labour has a new and different direction; that the polls are moving in the right direction for Labour; that Labour has provided a strong opposition to Key’s government; and that Labour has a new leadership and new front bench line up. However he doesn’t give evidence of any of this. How accurate are his claims?

Leadership?

Certainly the Labour leadership and the main voices in the MSM are claiming the Labour leadership is settled. However commenters here, as on Open Mike this morning, think differently.

New Labour Direction?

The main area where Labour are claiming a new direction is towards being more interventionist than Key’s government. The affordable housing policy has been the main plank of this alleged new direction. But one policy does not a direction make. It is good that they’ve focused on this very crucial issue. Affordable housing is at crisis level in places like Auckland and Christchurch. However I agree with Mana that it doesn’t go far enough. It doesn’t target the immediate crisis for low income people, who are largely renters. And it doesn’t address the issue of the urgent need for more state housing.

Jacinda Ardern has shown more dedication to publicly fronting on issues to do with beneficiaries, such as speaking at the Onehunga Recession Busting Impact rally last week, and foregrounding issues of poverty in her adjournment speech. However, I haven’t yet seen the focus on poverty in terms of statements from Shearer and proposed policy direction. I don’t see any new policy direction here.

However, I still don’t see as bolder claim for breaking with the “neoliberal” consensus as we saw druing the last couple of years from David Cunliffe.

The Polls?

The movement is glacial, and hardly a ringing endorsement in the face of a teetering Key government.

Opposition to Key’s Government?

The stand out opponents have been Winston Peters and some Green MPs, such us Russel Norman and Julie Anne Genter. Grant Robertson is a strong performer for Labour in the House, but Shearer has really yet to make his mark. Others in Labour have done some solid work, such as Phil Goff, Chris Hipkins, Sue Moroney, and Annette King.

New Leadership and Front Bench Line-up?

It doesn’t seem that new to me. However, newness of faces isn’t as important as the strength of the front bench, and direction it’s taking.

Conclusion

Shearer has improved in his media and parliamentary performances. I’m still not convinced that Shearer is leading Labour in a new and desirable direction. I am concerned that they aren’t yet really breaking with the “neoliberal” consensus” and that they are not presenting, as yet, a strong enough opposition to the government. They really do need Cunliffe’s expertise, speaking skills and rough edges on their front bench.

My party vote still leans towards the Greens, and Mana is an important developing force and voice for the left, Maori, Pasifika and all those on low incomes.

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124 comments on “What’s new? Shearer retrospective.”

The main area where Labour are claiming a new direction is towards being more interventionist than Key’s government. The affordable housing policy has been the main plank of this alleged new direction.

The Kiwibuild policy is Labour’s gift to the banksters. It’s main purpose is to increase borrowing which will show an increase in GDP and thus Labour will be able to say that they’re growing the economy. The problem, of course, is that all that extra economic movement comes bearing interest and so puts us straight back on the path to collapse simply because that interest cannot be repaid.

However, I haven’t yet seen the focus on poverty in terms of statements from Shearer and proposed policy direction. I don’t see any new policy direction here.

And you won’t. Shearer, and Labour in general, are only there to prop-up capitalism and the profits of the few.

Hi fender Viper
I say the following as a long-standing supporter of the Labour Party, from my earliest days and through the cycles of ups and downs.
Fundamentally, there remains questions about David Shearer as leader of the party (cf. leader of caucus) until the membership exercise their votes. The party as a whole will not fully come together as one and apply their whole-hearted support to back the selected leader for the 2014 campaign until after their party constitutional rights are accorded respect with the opportunity to cast their votes.
That must be kept in mind by caucus members and reinforced by the membership providing their time, funds and efforts in supporting their local Labour parliamentary representatives or candidates.

The leadership question is settled. Shearer will be leading Labour into Government at the next election because the majority of current Labour MP’s either explicitly support Shearer or accept there is no viable alternative. Cunliffe has had two cracks at knocking off Shearer (in caucus and at conference) and has failed both times. He won’t get a third chance.

In the unlikely event that Shearer doesn’t get the 60% plus one vote in caucus, he would still win a party wide ballot, particularly if he shores up the affiliates’ vote. I reckon he’s he’s done just enough this year to convince most members that he’s worth the risk.

And, apropos of nothing, can I point out to the couple of posters over the weekend who said they would be electorate voting Green at the next election, that their vote is worse than wasted? It’s actually a vote to retain a National led Government, muppets.

Yes, Karol. For me, what I saw and heard at conference indicated he had proxies working on his behalf. The practical result of that lobbying was the success in getting the 60% plus one vote confirmed. Sadly for Cunliffe, it now appears that was a pyrrhic victory and won’t be of any use to him, for the reasons I outlined above.

Just to head off the ‘but he said he supported Shearer’ response, public votes of confidence don’t always reflect privately held beliefs. As any sacked football manager will tell you, a vote of confidence from the charman is usually followed shortly afterwards by the order of the boot.

So there was no coup attempt at the conference, but an effort by many members to make the vote for leader more democratic? It may have opened the way for Cunliffe to take part in a future leadership contest, but it doesn’t amount to a coup attempt at conference.

Unusually thoughtless remark from you OTH. I was there. I was lobbied. I listened to the speeches. I took note of those who didn’t speak, as well. I formed an opinion and I have shared it with you and the other readers. A miserable, ill thought out and ultimately failed coup attempt, but a coup attempt none the less.

Sorry I can’t give you emails, letters, or other forms of proof, but Cunliffe’s leadership ambitions died on the weekend of the conference. And maybe that’s the real coup, eh?

LP was not a voting delegate. Nobody lobbied him*. You weren’t there and your ‘interpretation’ is from a considerable distance. Have a think about what the 60% vote really means. If it was about the ‘desire of membership’, why did it have a caucus veto built in? Answer: because it was reflective of the desire of a caucus member to strengthen his position without having to strengthen his numbers.

*Well, I did have a chat with Lyn. I found him to be exceedingly good company, of above average intelligence and handsome enough to be mistaken for Justin Beiber’s slightly older brother. Does sucking up to avoid a potential future ban count as lobbying?

[lprent: Yes. On reflection I think that it slightly increases the probability of getting holidays. The “slightly older” puts you into the same class as Jonathon Swift’s courtiers and flappers 😈 ]

Damn, I knew I should have gone with One D, Beiber is so last year. Nice Swift reference, LP; if I ever think you are about to fall off a cliff, I’ll give you a quick flap about the bonce to alert you to the danger.

Wrong, Karol. There was a coup attempt, but a very poor one. It failed to gain any traction and was limited to just one success, which was the frankly weird 60% plus one vote in caucus only, which, by itself, doesn’t make the wider party any more democratic.

Actually, thinking about the limited 60% plus 1 vote, it also confirms that Cunliffe thinks just like any other MP; caucus is all that matters.

The “leader of the party” is actually the leader of the party in parliament – ie the leader of the caucus. They don’t actually have much of a constitutional role outside of that.

The effect of the change was that after each general election, the parliamentary leader must to be confirmed in their position by 60%+1 of caucus. If there is a significiant minority (ie 40%) in caucus, then the leadership of caucus gets detirmined by a wider vote throughout the whole party.

which, by itself, doesn’t make the wider party any more democratic

What it does do is to ensure that it makes it a lot more difficult to repeat the kind of divide and rule tactics that were absolutely characteristic of the 4th Labour government.

If there is any kind of conflict over policy direction inside of the caucus then it effectively opens up a third option for MP’s to push the decision out to the larger party for discussion.

The 4th Labour government was the main reason that people talking to me about the change were planning on voting for it. In other words it wasn’t about Cunliffe for them.

The people who were definitely voting against it seemed to be the people raising Cunliffe as the reason mostly in private. When I was pressing them on what other reasons there were to oppose it, what I was getting were some generalities about “stability” of the caucus without any specifics about why.

The problem I always have with that ‘stability’ argument is that if you have 40% of the caucus opposing the direction set by the caucus leader and have to coerce them with such rules. Then any stability that is forged is just an illusion that had better be resolved sooner rather than later.. It is a ‘stability’ that will eventually cause a revolution that will be a damn sight more traumatic than it is useful.

But as you know, I detest short-term conservative thinkers. So I do have a bias against such stupid arguments.

The 4th Labour government was the main reason that people talking to me about the change were planning on voting for it. In other words it wasn’t about Cunliffe for them.

+1
As TRP has postulated, I’m sure there were some overly enthusiastic Cunliffe supporters who saw the proposed changes as being ‘helpful’ for a future Cunliffe challenge, but I don’t think the majority of the delegates were voting with Cunliffe particularly in mind. I was also at that conference, and I chatted to a number of delegates (none of whom I had met before) and the consensus of opinion seemed to be:We’ve had enough, we want more of a say in our own Party.

One of the arguments given in favour of the sentiment was the 2011 “LIST” selection which most people agree was less than satisfactory. In other words, what caused the constitutional changes to be voted in… was more to do with an accumulation of dissatisfaction that – as 1prent has suggested – had it’s beginnings with the 4th Labour government.

The list selections generally would have been the number two reason. What goes into the central mediation from the regionals appeared to have little relationship to what comes out over recent cycles.

The nett effect has to be to distance the party membership or at least large chunks of it from the caucus. Not something that is healthy.

Some pretty promising candidates got dropped well down the list. And that is a problem. But it is a bit dwarfed by

If Labour don’t improve the percentage of the party vote that they get amongst the ever decreasing enrolled who bother to vote, then the party list becomes somewhat meaningless without a wholesale removal of existing MP’s. So either this current caucus improves their performance dramatically or I suspect that they can look forward to getting some involuntary renewals.

So far over the last 4 years, Labour has been consistently polling in the Roy Morgan below the ~34% percentage that they got in the 2008 election – which was one of the worst results ever.

The 4th Labour government was the main reason that people talking to me about the change were planning on voting for it. In other words it wasn’t about Cunliffe for them.

And clearly this is a deep issue, that surfaced at conference, and can easily be touched off again. The party caucus leader has become a focal point for this. My post was focused on the “new” claims from Shearer. But so far, I’m not seeing a clear new direction in policy or celebrating and owning party democratisation.

And the caucus leadership seems afraid of a more democratic membership – hence the attempts to stifle any dissent, and the annoyance of any expressions of any continuing unease or dissent.

I have only put forward the idea of Cunliffe being needed on the front bench and working on policy. I really don’t know who would be the best caucus leader for the future of a strong, democratic and principled Labour Party; one that reconnects with it’s foundational aims.

I really don’t know who would be the best caucus leader for the future of a strong, democratic and principled Labour Party; one that reconnects with it’s foundational aims.

Unfortunately nor do I. And I’d settle for a whole lot less. One that looks like competent politician capable of balancing up a wide range of divergent views while being forward looking enough to not keep looking solving issues the way that they have failed in the past (boot camps come to mind) would be acceptable to me.

Well you know my view on this. DC refused to say whether he would stand in Feb. If it wasnt a coup, at the least it was failure to support the leadership. DC could not then complain that DS would consider he had to deal with the issue there and then. So if there was no coup attempt then DC was inept.

If there was no coup why didn’t cunliffe just say that he supported shearer? I don’t really believe the ‘integrity’ line it seems more like a political blunder. There are many ways of saying you support your leader “now” and still leave plenty of wriggle room to later on, with hand on heart and a tear in the eye, declare your leadership ambitions. That is political honesty.

Why should Cunliffe say he supports Shearer when it is a ‘secret ballot’ in February,why not ask Robertson,Little,Hipkins,Adern,etc, you can’t ‘pigeon hole’ Cunliffe as a ‘coup master’ when the question has not been asked of all the other crew, the real answer could be found in the very strong resentment by certain caucus players not wanting the members to vote for the way the leadership is chosen, stop throwing arrows at Cunliffe and look at his credentials.

I disagree. You cannot treat all MPs as having an equal possibility of challenging for the leadership when only one of them competed with the incumbent the last time the job was open. Oh, and has a vocal fan club amongst some party activists who enjoy slagging off the current leadership.

Hiding behind “secret ballot” is disingenuous. When you are the main challenger for a position, refusal to rule out another attempt is almost as good as publicly announcing it. Almost as good, because it makes you look untrustworthy and smug when you refuse to say either way.

Actually MM and Wayne – Cunliffe said exactly what you are claiming he did not. He said he supported Shearer.
Gower conveniently deleted out Cunliffe’s full responses so you only heard truncated clips. What Cunliffe was not prepared to answer was how he would vote in February in a secret ballot. No doubt if he had said how he would have voted, King/Mallard would have balled him out for breaching caucus rules about secret ballots. Yes that’s how it works when a group with no ethics holds the numbers in caucus.

My God, how many times do you have to tell them.I heard David Cunliffe reiterate his total support for Shearer half a dozen times (on TV and elsewhere) in the weeks leading up to the Conference – and at the Conference.

Gower had another agenda. He didn’t want to hear it. He wanted a dramatic “exclusive”. Something for the folks out there to salivate on and up the TV3 ratings. It so happened to suit the ABC club who were after Cunliffe’s blood because he was seen as a threat to their position and power within the Party and Caucus in particular.

NO politician has ever… said whether they were going challenge for the leadership or not. That would be the silliest thing any politician could do. It doesn’t mean that Cunliffe, or anyone else for that matter, is not going to be loyal to Shearer. What about David Parker or Andrew Little or at some future date, Jacinda Ardern? If you are going to apply that argument to Cunliffe, then you have to apply the same argument to them. They have never ruled out a challenge either.

But at issue wasn’t “some future date”. There was a very specific window that he should have been open about. And as the primary challenger for the role, the onus was on Cunliffe to make clear comments about party stability and, if necessary, take himself out of the contest. Or be clear about the challenge he will make within a few months. Either way shows loyalty to the party by minimising the disruption of a leadership challenge or false rumours of a challenge.

I can’t believe that some people are still having difficulty with this concept.

Oh, and you’ll probably find loads of MPs who announced they wouldn’t challenge their leader. Cullen probably did it (or by his demeanour rumours of a challenge were quickly quashed), but there will probably be others, too.

Cunliffe and his proxies lobbied strongly for the 60% plus 1. But hey, that’s the constitutional process and it is OK to do that. Nothing disloyal in it either. But lobbying for constitutional change does not equal a leadership coup and TRP you seem unable or unwilling to distringuish the two. However, you have a very long history on this site of anti-Cunliffe comments so its no surprise you would take this stance.
But come on TRP, no one disputes Cunliffe’s intelligence. Why would he attempt a coup in November when a 50% threshold in caucus was needed? Far better to keep his powder dry and wait till February when only a 40% threshold was needed.
No the truth is the King/Mallard leadership team started formenting a leadership coup three weeks before conference – they were the senior MPs briefing the media. It was them that precipitated the so called coup so they could kill off Cunliffe. That leaves the way clear to install Robertson closer to the lection when it suits then (but unikely to help Labour).
Ultimately though if Shearer is so confident he is the best leader then HE SHOULD PUT IT TO THE TEST AND LET THE MEMBERSHIP ENDORSE HIM IN FEBRUARY.

People do not necessarily walk when subjected to injustices; there are many possible responses one may have. You are grasping at straws KK. And TRP, members trying to garner support for their favoured candidate off their own bats does not mean an attempted coup. I myself like Cunliffe, but I have only met the guy once or twice and am certainly not part of an organised and strategic pro-Cunliffe team. Furthermore, Chris Trotter claims evidence that Robertson’s supporters were doing the numbers in the weeks leading up to the conference. http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2012/11/islands-in-mainstream.html Does this mean yet another attempted coup, that mysteriously went unnoticed?

Exactly what I was expecting from you KK. Have you heard of “lurking with intent”? Should Cunliffe wanted a top job abroad it would be his for the taking. He is simply biding his time, but you choose to call that “lurking around”, as offensive as ever.

Just on the point of leadership of labour – surely shearer has shown he has got what it takes by taking out the legs of his apparent opponent cunliffe. Even if cunliffe was not making a true bid for the job, shearer sorted him, so as TRP says he’s unlikely to get another go for a while and shearer will likely lead towards the election. Political operators can be effective with different approaches to it – on the results in maintaining his position as leader of labour shearer must be considered an effective political operator. This seems very hard for some to accept.

mm. Sorry to tell you that “some of us” consider Shearer’s tactics at Conference as deplorable. May I suggest that you allow yourself to “wait and see” – nothing is altogether decided yet, by a long way.

For me it’s not so much about who is the leader, or just replacing the Key government. It’s about what sort of government would replace the Key government. A softer version of Key’s “neoliberal” policies, will not help NZ in the long term. It certainly won’t help those in most need of a change of government direction – those on the lowest incomes.

We need a fairer more equal society, based on using local resources for the local people. I’m not seeing that from Shearer. He just seems to be using the old neoliberal marketing strategy of branding over substance. The approach from today’s interview seems to be to say”new” as often as possible, to sell the idea of the idea that Shearer’s Labour is about renewal – but I’m not seeing any substantial change of direction.

And I don’t see a strong front bench mounting a significant opposition to the Key government. There is some opposition, some policies I like, but not enough for a credible and necessary change of direction.

MM you think taking out an apparent opponent is good Leadership?
What about embracing an opponent and harnessing his talents? Labout actually hasn’t got a lot of talent to waste. What this shows is faction play at its nastiest and most vile. Shearer was supposed to be above all that. What he showed in November is not that he is a good and strong leader, but rather that he is now compromised and beholden to King/Mallard.

I think you are equating loyalty to the leader now for loyalty to the leader forever. What Cunliffe answered was the same as other MPs who were later asked – they would need to decide at the time, and some wished to consult their LECs etc. That is the correct answer to a future vote of confidence.

“I will not run” removes the controversy. A categorical denial means that he can’t run without backtracking and breaking his word.

“I will run” means Gower starts vote-counting, but as long as caucus adopts a universal line of not commenting on their votes, fair enough. Not as big a story as speculating on the existence of a cabal.

Either way is much more stable than this “will he won’t he” BS at conference.

Shearer would probably have done much the same, but it would all have been done prior to the conference. There would have been “challenger in waiting” report, but not the same level of “ignore everything else at the conference while Cunliffe dances on a pin”. And the entire thing would have looked so much more civilized than the internecine sniping that’s been going on for months.

Actually, the vote of confience in the leader to be held in February is not the same as an MP making a leadership challenge. It is entirely plausible that MPs could vote no confidence in Shearer, and that several MPs including Shearer then put their name forward for the resulting membership vote. You have merged what is two steps.

You may be right in terms of defining the process, Benghazi, but I think you are missing the bigger picture.

Cunliffe probably has less support in caucus than he had a year ago.The few Shearer doubters who aren’t Cunliffe fans aren’t going to switch to him unless it’s clear he would run in the second vote.

His own supporters in caucus aren’t going to vote for him either unless its crystal clear that he will run because Shearer has done nothing to warrant losing their confidence since the unanimous vote just after conference. It would be hypocritical for them to vote against Shearer only a few months later, unless Cunliffe was definitely running. And any chance of a cabinet post in the next Government would go down the gurgler.

If anything, Shearer has strengthened his position, post conference. As I said earlier, that may be the real coup; Team Cunliffe may have lost the fight without throwing a punch.

And, apropos of nothing, can I point out to the couple of posters over the weekend who said they would be electorate voting Green at the next election, that their vote is worse than wasted? It’s actually a vote to retain a National led Government, muppets.

Depends on the electorate. I voted in Waitaki last time. Here are the results

The GP candidate doing so well reflects the calibre of the candidate, encouraging her to pursue politics and the GP to support her. She’s never going to beat whoever National put up, but there are other uses to her geting lots of votes now. I gave my electorate vote to her and my party vote to the GP. Had the left electoral vote been close to National I would have made different choices.

But if I had lived in Waitakere, I would be seriously pissed at GP voters giving their electoral vote to the GP rather than Sepuloni. The GP need a telling off. So do Mana.

We really do need to up our game in NZ with regards to the intricacies of MMP voting choices.

Shearer will be leading Labour into Government at the next election because the majority of current Labour MP’s either explicitly support Shearer

*Logical fallacy detected* … *processing* …

Um, TRP, you do realise that Labour MPs don’t get to determine who forms the next government, right? There’s this “general election” thing where lots of other people get a say, too. And they may not be so keen on Captain Mumblefuck.

But they are keen enough already, oh prickly one. Even at this underachieving, slacker level of engagement with the voting public, Shearer’s already in the box seat. Which means, literally, that Labour MP’s do decide the next government. Just like they did under HC. That’s what being the biggest party of a potential bloc means; you get to try to form a Government.

Key won’t be able to because he’ll only have a couple of outliers this time, unless Winnie goes dolalley. So Labour it is. Hopefully, it’ll be a partnership with the Greens, but if it has to be Winston, well, he’s a cheap date, policy wise.

I certainly haven’t forgotten that the even less popular leader Phil Goff came within a couple of seats of becoming PM! Shearer’s already at better than that level of support and has, ahem, room to improve. A few more vote winners like the housing policy, apprenticeships, building a choo choo set for Len brown, that sort of thing … he’ll be quids in.

Did I not refer to the Clark years? Labour stitched up 3 very different coalitions under MMP. Same thing will happen at the next election. I’m a great believer in forming pre-election blocs, btw. Actually showing the electorate what the next goverment might look like. I want to see the Greens and Labour do joint policy launches on issues they (and we) agree on before the election. A vote for either would then be a vote for a progressive Government. Done cleverly, it could help the GP party vote, while delivering a few urban and provincial electorates back to Labour.

Shearer’s already at better than that level of support and has, ahem, room to improve.

If so then I wish he’d move a damn sight faster. Bearing in mind that Labour managed to suffer nearly a 5% dip between the polls mid-2011 and the election in November 2011, the current level of fat between the two blocks looks like that on the back of a sheep with long term tick problem. Not to mention that Labour was consistently higher than now throughout 2010. I think that you’re being a trifle optimistic. See http://www.roymorgan.com/roymorgan/library/x29661_8.jpg

The history over the last 4 years has been that whenever Labour starts making some traction, there is always another idiot in the Labour caucus that pipes up or does something to kill the momentum. So far I haven’t seen any observable change in the level of discipline in caucus this year (which is what a party leader is meant to lead). In fact the best you can say is that National’s ministers are helping to distract attention more than they were in 2010-2011.

I think one thing Shearer might consider is killing off the Red Alert blog.
I had a look today at the number of comments they get. The postings are so mind-boggling dull that the postings in the last week attracted these number of comments
1. No Comments
2. 1 Comment
3. No Comments
4. 4 Connents
5. 4 Comments
6. 4 Comments
7. No Comments
There may of course be another option. Trevor and Mallard were so free with their “Banned for life” mantra that there are only four people in New Zealand who haven’t been banned.

I used to enjoy The Standard postings but so much over the last while have been unhappy Cunliffites bagging Shearer, or tory trolls. Instead of being a daily read, I drop by occasionally, which is a sad, as I am sure others feel the same way.

I would agree that Labour has not front footed on a range of issues, but now is the time for unity against the worst administration I can remember. David Cunliffe may get his time in the future. He and his supporters should get behind the current leadership, carve out a niche, and push their views within the caucus and within the party.

Yes, dan 1, I am also getting tired of the bagging. Maybe over Christmas people might move on. I’ve said my bit on this whole thing, and having already said it, I don’t feel compelled to restate my view. The repetition has become tiresome. Merry Christmas, everyone.

Easy way to end the bagging and have the members unite behind the leader:

PUT IT TO THE TEST IN FEBRUARY.

What has happened to Cunliffe is deeply, deeply unjust. That’s why many comment on The Standard about what has happened. But also, there is much disaffection with the policy direction of current faction controlling the caucus.

DNFTT… or rather, do not feed the sockpuppets. “Dan1″, ‘Odysseus” and “Mac1”, carefully mentioning each other’s handles and so carefully agreeing with each other?

If the caucus mini-mes are themselves so lazy, never having been seen before and not following up, then things must surely be in a dire state.

Come on! Get with it you guys! You should be running a consistent, concerted campaign! Every day you should post, “Shearer is a genius! Shearer invented cats! Cunliffe is Emanuel Goldstein, Cunliffe created navel lint and gangrene!” Every day! Every. Fucking. Day.

The Standard has to be “brought into line”, as Curran demanded, ordered, no less, remember?

Rhinoviper, apologies for carefully mentioning your handle but actually it’s useful when using the search facility on The Standard to have accuracy. Sorry to have to actually give you a commonsense reason when you obviously prefer conspiracy.

I just want to challenge your assertion that happening to agree with someone makes them a sock puppet. That appellation tries to belittle me, but fails. It does belittle yourself, though, as your anger and frustration have overcome a sense of proportion and a sense of decent argument- what is fair, reasonable and not descending into name-calling. Your ranting does you or your cause no good.

I’m just off to an end of year BBQ with fellow Labour party members. There the year will be reviewed and I am sure differing views will be expressed- with due respect to each other. I shall enjoy that debate.

I need to do nothing, Napkins. All I am responsible for is my own behaviour. If they read my words and see their own behaviour in my words, then they can take the actions required.

I have acted honourably and selflessly for the party in the past. That was recognised through what I did and was acknowledged. If members can acknowledge when another member has acted correctly, then members can also see where and when they ‘need teaching’, if they do.

There are far more posts on TS on the government and other issues. Key and his ministers get far more bagging than does Labour.

I see part of the roles of blogs as holding both the politicians and the MSM to account. These days the MSM focus on the middle classes, and the Labour leadership have followed that line for far too long. Both have consistently misrepresented what happened at the Labour Party conference. If the MSM, and the parliamentary Labour leadership keep misrepresenting such things, I will continue to hold them to account.

They are operating on the principle if you say something often enough, people will accept it as truth, even if there is no truth to support it. Overall, my main problem is more with the MSM, and it’s misrepresentations, on this issue.

Agree Dan1 and thank you for saying you are sure others feel the same way as certainly I do. I’m not a party member, but long time Labout voter so still stopping by everyday but have had little desire to contribute anything lately.

I haven’t noticed any increase in trolling or criticism of the Labour Caucus lately. If anything it’s diminished as people go on holiday, a nd some LP members have been silenced.

It’s interesting that I don’t get such responses when I’m critical of the Greens – I have frequently been critical of the way Russel Norman is often now seen as the de facto leader of the Greens, and that I think he is dragging the party to the centre. I do not like the way Turei, with her strong focus on decreasing income inequalities and poverty, has been marginalised.

I am seriously concerned about the way democracy is being undermined by the 2 main parties, partly enabled/reinforced by an inadequate mainstream media coverage of politics.

Open discussion and criticism should be a cornerstone of a democracy. No one’s really commented on the positive things I said about some of the Labour front bench. Many just respond negatively to any criticism and ignore the positives.

Shearer says he doesn’t really ‘buy into that whole left/right thing’ (yeah cos that’s just for dorks who follow politics eh Davy, and you’re more of a play-the-guitar-at-the-beach-barbie type dude ay?)

Has the word ‘neo-liberal’ ever been uttered in public by Shearer? Is that one of those danger words that focus groups have shown can make an audience feel dumb AND set yourself up for being painted as ‘far-left extremists’ by your opposition?

My Christmas wish must be that the Labour Caucus cause the leadership question to be put to the numbers and affiliates in February,

My belief is that for the best chance to unify Labour and it’s supporters and dispose of the ugly Slippery National Government is for that full vote to take place befor the 2014 election,

The view here is that Labour would do itself the most favor by running a Robertson/Cunliffe ticket at the 2014 election,

As far as ‘a new direction’ goes for Labour, Shearer must be attempting humor, the bloke reminds me of someone who during the 70’s indulged in one two many acid trips, He always has that slightly fried look about Him,

Which new direction is this???, i suppose it is pretty novel to have the Leader of Parliamentary Labour publicly and openly bagging beneficiaries, but, it’s hardly new for Labour to be pandering to the middle class, Working for Families and interest Free Student Loans being the Clark Labour Governments well worked pitch for the middle class vote,

The KiwiBuild ‘flagship’ policy in it’s announced form is simply a pitch for the votes of the middle class and their children, that same middle class being the very people who created the need for such a policy in the first place by playing Monopoly with New Zealand’s housing stock for the past 15 years will now have their children rewarded by Labour shoe-horning any of them who can service a 300+ grand mortgage onto the ‘property ladder’,

Couple Labour’s latest gimmie with the tax cuts and buy into State Owned Assetsof the Slippery National Government and the Clark Governments Working for Families and Interest Free Student Loans and the current middle class can only be seen as the most pandered to section of New Zealand society ever,

Labour having left the beneficiaries out in the political wilderness, a luxury of the MMP system, have now to all extents and purposes signaled the abandonment of those who toil daily in the hard end of the economy at or just above the minimum wage,

My view is that the democratization of the Party signaled at the just passed conference did not go quite far enough, it should in fact be the card carrying members on the floor of the annual Labour Party conference who have ‘the say’ in if and when a leadership contest is triggered and it should be by the same voting system the Party recently installed that the Leader, the Cabinet, and, the relevant Ministerial Portfolios are all voted upon…

Very good summation of the issues, bad. My post was focused on this marketing of Labour now as “new”: in direction, leadership, and in terms of the front bench. To me what I most want to see from Labour is a new direction and a clean break from Rogernomics, plus a strong front bench team to deliver it. They have some good MPs, but I’m not seeing them acting as a very strong front bench, either.

Leadership is not something to be taken as granted, settled, anointed or uncontested, but must be regarded as being in a state of flux and so need to be earned, demonstrated and put to the membership to confirm and provide their mandate.

There was a story going round not long after Bwana Dave became the Labour Parliamentary Leader that while a UN worker Dave had written a rather famous treastise in which He is said to openly favor the establishment of ‘private armies’,(perhaps He had seen those that operate in Iraq and was enamored of the way they could kill with impunity and their murderous rampages could not be sleeted home to any particular country),

I am afraid your wish for Labour to disavow it’self of ‘Rogernomics’ is forlorn,there are still a rump number of senior Labour MP’s who served in the Lange Government who will never let Parliamentary Labour resile from the pathetic ‘reforms’ of Sir(spit), Roger Douglas, whether from over-blown political ego’s or just sheer bloody minded-ness they still beleive and are heard occassionally to say that the Douglas ‘reforms’ were neccessary and ‘had’ to happen,

If the Labour Party membership ever want to rein in the Parliamentary Labour MP’s and have them do the bidding of the members instead of what now appears to be the opposite the Party it’self must again bite the bullet and go further,(as i suggest above), in democratizing itself, only when the Leader, the Cabinet, and the MP’s are answerable to the floor of the annual Labour Party Conference will the Labour Caucus do the bidding of the Labour Party itself, until such occurs it looks like it’s ‘business as usual’ for the next Labour lead Government even tho all around the world, for Governments from the US,to the EU, Brittain and Japan, it is definitely not business as usual…

Great discussion. And interesting how the same thing can be interpreted in multiple ways. Often there are two or more things that are being dealt to by one thrust for action. In the Conference it might be said that it was first, more say for the rank and file, and second, which could help Cunliffe too.

Indeed David Shearer WAS on TV3 this morning, and came across all swee and dandy…….albeit interviewd by an “up and coming Matilda Headroom” and classmate of a daughter (No prizes for what side of he fence she sits although employers – should they know – would leave her jibbering – Not yet JC status)
Still………..all that said – NOT a great deal to convince me (and almost an ENTIRE immediate family) to continue with an electorate/party vote that = Labour.
Far from it in fact!!! Far far far far far far from it. I speak of whanau. I should also have mentioned immediate frenz and whoopsie does.
Indeed half of a comfortably off mUddle class supping cheap white wines in Courtenay Place of an evening and pretending to be…………, well, when all cashed up – in negative territory and living and hoping and ASPIRING on credit…………. they’re STARTING to realise this is all total SHITE.
I’m not sure any are willing to string a Joyce or a Paratered from a Chinese owned lampost crossmember yet – perhaps even save a lumbering Oxen claiming a surname of Bennett from being crushed beneath such lampost falling during a tornado – but I think they’re getting close to turning the blind eye when it inevitably happens.
For me……I hope the bugger keep it up and carry on just as they are:
Hekia…credibility already lost (nova nova nova never and all that preceded)
Bennett…….hypocracy et al (and desperately hoping certain past remains certain passed)
Joyce……. (the rat that’s learned the way up a drain pipe is to have a Key)
Key……(used car sales and Proim Minstashup en…….. well – lets jiss smoilin wave aye)

Actually this is a turing point for this country.
It’s a shame the sleepy hobbits haven’t yet woken up to the fact

[Karol: the two posts looked totally the same to me so I moved one to the trash. My apologies if they weren’t the same]

I think I tried to correct a spelling mistake at some point whilst using a very creaky system (old keyboard and intermittent internet connection). In any event – would have been a single attempt at a post

Labour as it is now will only “survive”, if Shearer can find the gratitude and humility, to sit down with Cunliffe, and perhaps also Robertson, to make peace, mend the divisions, acknowledge the past mistakes, seek agreement on a solution for the common good of the party and supporters, and that is the ONLY solution Labour have left!

Return Cunliffe to a meaningful role, as part of the front bench, re shuffle that front bench in part, bring in more promising players, listen to the base membership and that is the only sensible approach to be taken before the February vote.

If Shearer cannot humble himself and his “team” (being his largely caucus based serfs) to come to such a constructive solution, Labour will NOT win 2014 and will go into the political wilderness for many years to come.

So David, and that is the Shearer, listen to this well-meant advice, otherwise you will go, you will drag Labour down into many years of opposition, and you will NEVER be Prime Minister. I actually suggest you take an even bigger step, and realise that you may not be the best leader, and open up the challenge to a more suited candidate by February. That is your LAST chance from my point of view.

if Shearer wants to be confirmed by the Caucus in February, avoid a membership selection proceess and then lead a genuinly united party he needs take a few significant steps.
The endorsement by the Caucus must be genuine for the members to accept it: Shearer has to come to a pact with Cunliffe and his supporters to achieve this.
Should Shearer get such a genuine confirmation from a newly united Caucus, he then needs to address the alienation of many of the members.
Many members have been offended and alienated a by
a) the white-anting ABC activity of Mallard & co
b) the parachuting of party apperchnicks into electorate: e.g Faafoi, Hipkins, Ardern, etc.
c) the framing of the 40%/60% trigger as anti-Shearer. This was a disingenuous short term tactic to wrong foot Cunliffe but it actually insulted the majority of the members.
d) the tacid encouragement of the white-anting of bloggers. The Internet has arrived: develop positive policies towards it for the benefit of the party. The current approach is Luddite and will alienate most voters under 50.
e) …..and each member will have a few more points like these.
Mr Shearer came in on the promise of being a calm team building leader. For whatever reason the party has now become more split since the 80’s.
Mr Shearer needs to swallow a few rats and take significant steps to re-unite the party.

Shearer wont and cant win in 2014, we can all join hands and say how wonderful he is just like the brilliant Goff and we will get the same result. I notice now Shearers supporters trying to sow the seed that any poor performance by him will be because of disunity.PPPPPFFFT.

Shearers a idiot nothing more than a sock puppet for Mallard and King.

There is nothing wrong with having a queue for Labour leader proving the leader is elected democratically using party rules. A coup is unstabilising. What also is unstabilising is when the leader throws a hissy fit about being challenged and they send their best finance spokesperson to the back bench.

Shearer demoting Cunliffe is as unstabilising as Cunliffe mounting a coup. Shearer has to ponder who the enemy is and it is not Cunliffe. Shearer knows that he has a year at the max to lift his profile to the point of a Labour lead coalition win in 2014.

My message to Shearer is either Cunliffe or Shearer will be leader this time next year and Shearer needs to be appointed as finance minister ASAP. It will not be Cunliffe or the caucus who outs Shearer, it will be the Labour Party membership.

What also is unstabilising is when the leader throws a hissy fit about being challenged and they send their best finance spokesperson to the back bench.

The problem with that is: he wasn’t being challenged and I’m damm sure Shearer will know that now. Sure, if the cents (pennies) had kept falling in Cunliffes favour there might have been a challenge come February, but there was no challenge – or coup as some in the MSM called it – at the L.P. Conference. Some over-excited Cunliffe supporters may well have done some lobbying but if anyone thinks ‘the other side’ hadn’t been hard at it for weeks – if not months – then they need their head read.

I saw a good example of it inside my own Labour electorate organisation. Six weeks or so in advance of the conference proposed changes to the electoral rules covering List and leadership selections involving greater membership participation were happily accepted as being appropriate. No-one that I recall expressed any major concern. A bit of tweaking was suggested but that was all. Suddenly (or so it seemed) a few days before the conference, emails started flying (admit slight exaggeration here to make a point) expressing deep concern about the proposals and recommending we vote for… what were essentially the amendments put up by Caucus, for Caucus and to the sole advantage of Caucus.

Put in a nutshell that’s exactly what happened Treetop. It was mind boggling sitting on the sidelines watching it play out. If Shearer is intelligent he will reinstate Cunliffe to the Front Bench early next year, and he will tell the Mallarfia to pull their horns in or else they’re on their way out.

Reading this thread makes me so exasperated I could weep, and paranoia that drove the attack on Cunliffe seems to be ongoing. It has since been suggested that criticising this spectacular display of bad faith may count as “bringing the party into disrepute.” It is as if the caucus is telling the members “you can have any colour you like so long as it’s blue.” The leadership team now seem to regard right wing journalists and PR trouts as their friends and the members as their enemies.
I am sorry, people who are sick of this conversation, but the Labour Party has been hijacked before, and no serious member wants to see it hijacked again.
In fact I would very much like to see the concept of “bringing the party to disrepute” applied to the lack of adherence to Labour Party principles.

The leadership team now seem to regard right wing journalists and PR trouts as their friends and the members as their enemies.

I was actually quite depressed listening to the pitiful Nine to Noon show on Nat Rad the other day with Mike Williams so arduously sucking Matthew Hooton’s dick.

Pause. OK, ewww…

Sorry.

It just shows how cosy the two main parties have got with the same set of stale ideas, how cosy hacks like Armstrong are with them, how they are all part of the “centrist” club and fear change to the stays quo, the predictable alternation of slightly relatively left with slightly relatively right and the constant of safe seats of lists positions and meals at Bellamy’s.

That might be depressing, but the anger with which these… um… people react to the blogs is a sign that a profound change is under way, so I expect that while there may be setbacks in the short term, and serious defeats even, the tide of media and politics has turned and those hacks in the press and parliament will be shown to be irrelevant as a new generation takes over.

<i>If Shearer is intelligent</i>
Well, I’m basing my opinion of the fact that on the rare instances when he can actually put a sentence together and almost seem like he means it, it’s some dull platitude without any substance or sophistication. So here goes:

He’s not at the Parata level of stupid, but he’s weak, profoundly unimaginative and while he vaguely and complacently believes in “nice stuff” and “doing good work”, he’s without any confidence in core principles that he can articulate to himself, let alone anyone else… so, nah, he won’t.

He’ll decide that its those has-beens and troughers that he really depends on and tell himself that he’s being realistic as well as telling himself that all those new-fangled fads are going to pass… you know… I mean, ah… like gramophones, motor-cars, wireless and… inter… intra… the inter tubes… are er, uh… I mean… ah… it looks like a television with a typewriter in front of it and… ah… something when you write a memo, you put an “e-” in front of it… uh, Clare, Trevor, do you know?!

It is really disturbing just how dull this man is. And that his lack of wit is one of the main reasons he is in the position he is. I was bemused when his right-wing supporters in the msm used to say that the reason he couldn’t put a sentence together was because he was “too intelligent” and, allegedly he could see so many alternative postions that he found it difficult to choose one train of thought. Jesus they must have laughed at the thought of that flying. They obviously assumed that most of us have never met anyone of the intellectual calibre of David Shearer. (cue cynical laughter) Really intelligent people can’t communicate huh? Maybe that is true of some kind of idiot-savant a long way along the autism scale, in some instances – but somehow I don’t think that was the picture they were trying to paint.

His education, his careers, were all in the broad field of communication – from teaching, to (cue more cynical laughter) negotiating with war lords, to management/’adminstration at the UN – all primarily fields of communication. In fact, I suspect “english” was his strongest subject at school. In fact he simply doesn’t know what to say without cue cards and doesn’t have a fucking clue. Hubris and outrageous vanity have already got him into positions way above his capabilities. We all know of other cases where this particular “skill set” has had this result. The consequences are often disastrous, which is why. against my better judgement, I am responding to your comment, Rhinoviper, albeit with a deep sense of futility.

I know you’re not being malicious and this isn’t Public Address, so I’m not going to say “I take offence at your assault on my identity!” – this comment is just an exercise in pedantry 🙂

idiot savant a long way along the autism spectrum

I’m on the autism spectrum (I have what is called Asperger’s Syndrome, but which apparently won’t be for much longer once the DSM V comes out), and I really, really don’t want to be associated with someone so numbingly dull. We Aspies actually have empathy and emotional understanding – we just have to work hard at it because it’s all manual rather than automatic. We understand what someone’s feeling and we really do feel very strongly for other people when we learn to decode the subtleties of facial expression and whatnot. We develop strong facilities with particular channels of communication, but they tend to be rather narrow – music, but not language; mathematics, but not language; language but not… whatever.

Most of all, we’re geeky – we develop passionate interests in something, assemble vast stores of knowledge about whatever it might be and arrange it into very precise patterns and sets of categories because otherwise the world is a barrage of chaotic data fragments all competing for attention.

Autism, by the way, is not always (or even often) savantism.

Shearer? Average IQ at best, no facility with language, no particular skill at anything. No sense of system in his thinking. It’s his intellectual and moral shallowness that really gets me: he hasn’t thought about things, he hasn’t ordered his ideas, he hasn’t identified the fundamental pattern of things. He’s a competent manager of refugee camps, or so I’m told, but that’s not outstanding and he’s on his own as far as autism goes – it’s is neither his “excuse” nor his virtue. He’s just a dull, limited man, an escapee from the walkshorts and sandals over socks culture of the 1970s.

Anyway, as I said, I’m not criticising you – just taking the opportunity to remark on a point that you briefly mentioned in passing for a wider audience.
Off my soapbox now…

I’m not unfamiliar with Aspergers. I wasn’t taking about Aspergers. I said a “long way” along the spectrum. I said it in sarcasm I didn’t mean it to be taken literally. And needless to say, I shouldn’t have said it. Please accept my apology.

I knew you had Aspergers, your own quirky genius shines through and I enjoy reading it. Now if Shearer had your ability to communicate…..

Yes Shearer couldn’t even come out with a clear line about the proposed MPs pay rise tonight on TV3 news. Simple enough question and sandwiched between Hone and Key who both had clear albeit different lines he just looked like Mr Mumbles again. Guess what – this is the easy stuff – its not hard. Campaigning close to an election is hard, debates are hard……Shearer will be a lamb to the slaughter and that is just what the Nats and their right wing mates in the MSM/blogs have been wanting. It also suits the old guard of the caucus who are less concerned about Labour governing and more interested in preserving their positions.

<i>that is just what the Nats and their right wing mates in the MSM/blogs have been wanting</i>

I know… some, like Armstrong, are so narrow and yet thick* think that they like Shearer because he’s one of their own, while others with rather more intellectual pretensions, like Farrar and Hooters, think “Let’s see if they fall for it!”

And the troughers think, trying to justify themselves, read Farrar and Hooters and say, “See?! We’re wining them over! That National Lite strategy worked!”

And the stay-at-homes and the people who think, “Hmmm, that roof needs painting…” multiplies.

But the troughers don’t care, ‘cos they’re high on the list. Oh man, the list, it’s like Olympus and crack all at once, man…

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Is Todd Muller the Ned Flanders of the National Party? This is how he’s been characterised by political commentator Gordon Campbell, who suggests the change in leadership is, in Simpsons terms, akin to swapping the scary and cruel Monty Burns for Homer Simpson’s compassionate but conservative neighbour. There’s almost a ...

We all know that many so-called journalists and political commentators in New Zealand work directly or indirectly for political parties or for certain political factions. This was obviously the case when pundit for hire Matthew Hooton launched a campaign against then National Party leader, Simon Bridges, over their numerous polling ...

Let's Roll! The easy victory over a Bridges-led National Party which the Left had every cause to anticipate just a few days ago is no longer in the offing. Our enemy’s position has changed. His numbers are swelling. A rapid thrust to the left, followed by an audacious outflanking manoeuvre ...

Anyone who keeps an eye on evidence around cannabis and public health will be familiar with the Christchurch Health and Development Study. It's one of two local longitudinal studies frequently cited with respect to cannabis and youth development. But in a new article in the New Zealand Medical Journal, it is ...

In the age of covid we are Jacinda’s team of five million, except for some. There has rarely been a more blatant case of discrimination against beneficiaries than Grant Robertson’s announcement yesterday that people who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus will receive weekly payments of $490 per week for 12 weeks and $250 per week for part time ...

It was 75 years ago this month that Germany surrendered and the Allies celebrated VE (Victory in Europe) Day. Millions of people around the world had been killed and many more injured or captured. It was an end to war not just for Europeans, but their allies too, in countries across Africa. But its impact is ...

Well, we are out of lockdown, essentially. I did end up getting the wage subsidy while we were on levels 3 and 4 but I would have been fine if we didn’t. The first day of level 2, the Thursday, the office opened again for the people who weren’t able ...

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Hon Shane Jones, NZ First List MP based in Northland New Zealand First MP Hon Shane Jones has today announced his candidacy for the electorate of Northland. Speaking at a New Zealand First meeting in Kerikeri, Northland, Mr Jones said it was a privilege to be selected by the Party ...

Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today announced two diplomatic appointments: New Zealand’s High Commissioner to India and Consul-General to Hong Kong. “As New Zealand recovers from COVID-19, our diplomatic and trade networks are more important than ever. That is ...

We started the week by announcing free apprenticeships to support Kiwis into work and to help get New Zealand moving again - and we ended the week by extending the wage subsidy to 40,000 more businesses, helping to protect businesses and workers alike. ...

We’re confident in the ability of Kiwi businesses to succeed in the face of COVID-19, and our Government is committed to doing our bit to enable that success. Kiwi businesses have always been innovative and resilient, and the COVID-19 pandemic has proven this yet again. Many businesses are finding new, creative ...

New Zealand First is pleased to release the names of its first tranche of candidates for the 2020 election. The includes all sitting New Zealand First Members of Parliament except Clayton Mitchell MP who earlier today announced he will not be seeking re-election. In alphabetical order they are: MP ...

Clayton Mitchell MP, New Zealand First List MP based in Tauranga New Zealand First MP Clayton Mitchell has decided not to seek re-election in this year’s General Election. “After serious consideration and discussion with my family, I have decided to pursue other passions in my life and spend a lot ...

Defence Minister Ron Mark has announced that new Lockheed Martin Super Hercules aircraft would replace the outdated and costly 1960s Hercules fleet. The $1.521b project will include a flight simulator for staff training and other supporting infrastructure. "This fleet will ensure the Defence Force can continue to support New Zealand's ...

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has described Labour's original COVID-19 commercial rent dispute proposal as "poorly targeted". Justice Minister Andrew Little hasannounced a temporary law changeto force commercial landlords and renters to consider COVID-19 in disputes over rent issues, almost two months after the Government first floated the idea. But ...

Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First acknowledges that some small businesses have been struggling to meet fixed costs due to the loss of revenue by COVID-19. We also know some businesses are at greater risk of insolvency when they cannot come to a reasonable ...

Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First is disappointed that the removal of the spousal deductions has had to be delayed by the Ministry fo Social Development, due to COVID19 workload pressures. “New Zealand First has always stood for fairness when it comes to superannuation ...

Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First On the steps of Parliament today the Leader of New Zealand First, Rt Hon Winston Peters received a petition from registered nurse Anna Maria Coervers, requesting an amendment to the Protection for First Responders Bill which will ensure the legislation also include registered ...

It's been a busy seven days as we start to rebuild New Zealand together. From delivering extra support for small businesses, to investing in our artists and arts organisations, to cutting red tape on home DIY projects, we're rolling out our plan to get the economy and New Zealand moving ...

Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State Owned Enterprises KiwiRail’s Northland rail upgrade steps up another gear today and will help Northland recover from the impacts of COVID-19, State Owned Enterprises Minister Winston Peters says. The Government is investing $204.5 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to ...

“Today and every day we stand in solidarity with George Floyd’s family, friends and community who feel pain and fear about his untimely death at the hands of Minneapolis police”, said Green Party Co-leader and Māori Development spokesperson Marama Davidson. ...

Fletcher Tabuteau, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Hon Eugenie Sage, Minister of Conservation The West Coast forests of Mount Te Kinga at Kotuku Whakaoho/Lake Brunner are the latest predator free project to receive Government funding, announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher ...

The Green Party has begun the process for a Select Committee inquiry into student accommodation, which has been exposed during COVID-19 as an under-regulated sector that straddles students with unfair debt. ...

Budget 2020 is about rebuilding together, supporting jobs, getting business moving and the books back into the black. It’s an integral part of our COVID-19 economic response, and our plan to grow our economy and get New Zealand moving again.Here’s a quick look at the five top things you ...

The Green Party is pleased to reveal its candidate list for the upcoming election. With a mix of familiar faces and fresh new talent, this exceptional group of candidates are ready to lead the Greens back into Government. ...

The Coalition Government has approved $206 million in essential upgrades at Ōhakea Air Base. Defence Minister Ron Mark said the money would be spent on improving old infrastructure. He said safety issues would be addressed, as well as upgrades to taxiways, accommodation and fresh, storm and waste water systems. "This ...

Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First “I am not persisting with this case just for myself, but for all people who have had their privacy breached. Privacy of information is a cornerstone of our country’s democracy. Without it our society truly faces a bleak future. We now ...

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This summer presents a great opportunity for New Zealanders to get out into nature with bookings on Great Walks for 2020/21 set to open next week, says Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. Bookings for the Great Walks will open between 9 and 11 June, excluding Milford and Routeburn tracks which ...

Extra 40,000 businesses to be eligible for wage subsidy extension Small business cashflow support application period extended The Government is today announcing further support for businesses that continue to be affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, as the broader economy becomes one of the most open in the world following ...

The Coalition Government has confirmed five Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules transport aircraft will be purchased to replace the existing fleet, Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today. “Last year, Cabinet selected these aircraft as the preferred option to replace the current Hercules fleet. Procurement of the Super Hercules has been ...

The Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage is celebrating World Environment Day with an announcement of a major step towards Wairarapa Moana being recognised as an internationally significant wetland. “Wairarapa Moana is an ecosystem of 10,000 hectares of wetland and open water that provides a home for indigenous fish, birds and ...

New public housing that will save tenants money in energy bills, and provide warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, is setting the standard for the Government’s future public housing programme, Housing Minister Megan Woods said. Dr Woods opened the new Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities complex, which has a ...

A new-look Police graduation ceremony to take account of COVID19 health rules has marked the completion of training for 57 new constables. Police Minister Stuart Nash attended this afternoon's ceremony, where officers of Recruit Wing 337 were formally sworn in at the Royal New Zealand Police College without the normal support of ...

Mobile traders and truck shops must adhere to responsible lending requirements Interest rate cap on high-cost loans Lenders prohibited from offering further credit to an applicant who has taken two high-cost loans in the past 90 days The Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Kris Faafoi, has signalled an end ...

94% of firms say wage subsidy had positive impact on cashflow 62% of firms say support helped to manage non-wage costs like rent A survey of business that have received the Government’s wage subsidy show it has played a significant role in saving jobs, and freed up cash flow to ...

New legislation introduced to Parliament today will support growth and assist businesses on the road to economic recovery, said Revenue Minister Stuart Nash. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2020-21, Feasibility Expenditure, and Remedial Matters) Bill proposes that businesses can get tax deductions for ‘feasibility expenditure’ on new investments,” said Mr ...

Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson has welcomed the first release of funds from the $265 million Sport Recovery Package announced as part of Budget 2020. Sport NZ has announced that $4.6 million in funding will go to the Wellington Phoenix, NZ Warriors, Super Rugby teams and the ANZ Premiership ...

An iconic New Zealand tourism attraction and the country’s 31 Regional Tourism Organisations are the first recipients of support from the $400 million Tourism Sector Recovery Plan, to help position the sector for recovery from COVID-19, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. The plan includes a Strategic Tourism Assets Protection ...

The Government will legislate to ensure businesses that suffered as a result of the COVID-19 response will get help to resolve disputes over commercial rent issues, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. A temporary amendment to the Property Law Act will insert a clause in commercial leases requiring a fair ...

The Minister for Small Business says new data from Xero highlights the urgency of prompt payment practices to small and medium enterprises as we move into economic recovery. Last month Government ministers wrote to significant private enterprises and the banking industry to request they join efforts by government agencies to ...

Young people in Waikato will be the first to have free access to period products in schools in another step to support children and young people in poverty,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. During term 3, the Ministry of Education will begin providing free period products to schools following the ...

The Minister of Police Stuart Nash has issued the following statement in response to charges filed against three Police officers this morning in the New Plymouth District Court. “Any incident involving a loss of life in Police custody is taken very seriously. The charges today reflect the gravity of the ...

$196 million for Crown Research Institutes $150 million for R&D loan scheme $33 million for Māori research and development opportunities $12 million for the Nationally Significant Collections and Databases $10 million to help maintain in-house capability at Callaghan Innovation New Zealand’s entrepreneurs, innovators and crown researchers will benefit from a ...

Further temporary changes to NCEA and University Entrance (UE) will support senior secondary school students whose teaching and learning have been disrupted by COVID-19. “The wellbeing of students and teachers is a priority. As we are all aware, COVID-19 has created massive disruption to the school system, and the Government ...

Minister for Racing Winston Peters today announced that the terms for the directors of the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) have been extended to 30 June 2021. Due to the COVID-19 crisis the transition period has been extended to ensure that the Racing Industry Bill can complete its progress through ...

The deadline for landlords to include detailed information in their tenancy agreements about how their property meets the Healthy Homes Standards, so tenants can see the home they are renting is compliant, has been extended from 1 July 2020 to 1 December 2020. The Healthy Homes Standards became law on 1 July 2019. The Standards are ...

Justice Minister Andrew Little today announced details of further appointments to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. “I am pleased to announce Paula Rose QSO OStJ as Deputy Chief Commissioner for a term of five years commencing on 15 June 2020,” said Andrew Little. “I am also pleased to announce the ...

The Targeted Training and Apprenticeships Fund (TTAF) will pay costs of learners of all ages to undertake vocational education and training The fund will target support for areas of study and training that will give learners better employment prospects as New Zealand recovers from COVID-19 Apprentices working in all industries ...

The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will finally start to cut New Zealand’s greenhouse gas pollution as it was originally intended to, because of changes announced today by the Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw. The changes include a limit on the total emissions allowed within the ETS, rules to ensure ...

Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List provides an abundance of examples that Pacific people’s leadership capability is unquestionable in Aotearoa. “The work and the individuals we acknowledge this year highlights the kind of visionary examples and dedicated community leadership that we need ...

The Government is backing a new $27 million project aimed at boosting sustainable horticulture production and New Zealand’s COVID-19 recovery efforts, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. “Our horticulture sector has long been one of New Zealand’s export star performers, contributing around $6 billion a year to our economy. During and ...

The Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List once again highlights the dedication by many to looking after our native plants and wildlife, including incredible work to restore the populations of critically endangered birds says Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. Anne Richardson of Hororata has been made an Officer of the New ...

The Government will invest $10 million from the One Billion Trees Fund for large-scale planting to provide jobs in communities and improve the environment, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Forestry Minister Shane Jones have announced. New, more flexible funding criteria for applications will help up to 10 catchment groups plant ...

Organisations that support women are invited to apply to a new $1,000,000 fund as part of the Government’s COVID-19 response. “We know women, and organisations that support women, have been affected by COVID-19. This new money will ensure funding for groups that support women and women’s rights,” said Minister for ...

Healthier waterways are front and centre in a new project involving more than 300 King Country sheep, beef and dairy farmers. The Government is investing $844,000 in King Country River Care, a group that helps farmers to lift freshwater quality and farming practice, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “Yesterday ...

A major funding package for libraries will allow them to play a far greater role in supporting their communities and people seeking jobs as part of the economic recovery from COVID-19. “Budget 2020 contains over $60 million of funding to protect library services and to protect jobs,” says Internal Affairs ...

A jobseekers programme for the creative sector and four new funds have been set up by the Government to help our arts and music industry recover from the blow of COVID-19. Thousands of jobs will be supported through today’s $175 million package in a crucial economic boost to support the ...

Minister for Veterans Ron Mark has welcomed the First Reading of a Bill that will make legislative changes to further improve the veterans’ support system. The Veterans’ Support Amendment Bill No 2, which will amend the Veterans’ Support Act 2014, passed First Reading today. The bill addresses a number of ...

Views sought on Order in Council to help fast track the reinstatement of the Christ Church Cathedral The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Hon Poto Williams, will be seeking public written comment, following Cabinet approving the drafting of an Order in Council aimed at fast-tracking the reinstatement of the ...

The law setting out New Zealanders’ basic civil and human rights is today one step towards being strengthened following the first reading of a Bill that requires Parliament to take action if a court says a statute undermines those rights. At present, a senior court can issue a ‘declaration of ...

Thousands of artists and creatives at hundreds of cultural and heritage organisations have been given much-needed support to recover from the impact of COVID-19, Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern announced today. “The cultural sector was amongst the worst hit by the global pandemic,” Jacinda ...

Key New Zealand assets will be better protected from being sold to overseas owners in a way contrary to the national interest, with the passage of the Overseas Investment (Urgent Measures) Bill. The Bill, which passed its third reading in Parliament today, also cuts unnecessary red tape to help attract ...

Setting higher health standards at swimming spots Requiring urban waterways to be cleaned up and new protections for urban streams Putting controls on higher-risk farm practices such as winter grazing and feed lots Setting stricter controls on nitrogen pollution and new bottom lines on other measures of waterway health Ensuring ...

The Government is on the verge of reaching its target of state sector boards and committees made up of at least 50 percent women, says Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter and Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny Salesa. For the first time, the Government stocktake measures the number of Māori, ...

ANALYSIS:By Denis Muller of theUniversity of Melbourne When a newspaper with the authority of The New York Times chooses to publish a party-political essay calculated to further inflame the violence wracking cities across America, serious questions arise. On June 3 the Times published in its opinion section an ...

For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level two – read The Spinoff’s giant explainer about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. ...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Noble, Education Policy Fellow, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University Three quarters of a million Australian children are likely to be experiencing employment stress in the family as a result of COVID-19. This is on top of around 615,000 children whose families were ...

Spice up the classic banana muffin with a subtle touch of star anise.These muffins came about one rainy Saturday when the cupboards were bare and there was nothing much left in the fruit bowl aside from some very sad-looking bananas. Fortunately we know sad bananas result in the best kind ...

For years, Work and Income has been telling New Zealanders they couldn’t get the benefit until their redundancy payments ran out. Turns out, it was wrong.What’s all this then?Work and Income has long told New Zealanders receiving redundancy payments that they weren’t eligible for the benefit until their redundancy money ...

New Zealand writer Anna Rankin reports from Los Angeles. Last Friday afternoon, I went downtown to a protest outside the enormous Los Angeles Police Department headquarters on 1st Street. The LAPD had set up cordons, placing orange cones across streets to block traffic. Arms crossed, they stood with a wide ...

Until the sudden closure of Bauer Media in April, Simon Farrell-Green was the editor of HOME, New Zealand’s oldest architecture magazine. Here he explains what comes next.Being the editor of a major architecture magazine was the best job I ever had. I got it in 2016, after a career spent ...

A global success story or an overly generous, unsustainable scheme that is doing lasting damage to our fish stocks? Ethan Neville looks at the ongoing debate over New Zealand’s fishing quota management system. The management of our fisheries is a touchy topic – and why wouldn’t it be? New Zealanders ...

By RNZ News Thousands of people were protesting across Australia today to oppose the deaths of Indigenous people in police custody. It comes as Black Lives Matter protests are held around the world after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in the US ...

For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level two – read The Spinoff’s giant explainer about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. ...

One press statement from the Beehive yesterday sounded more like advertising – or a barker’s pitch – than a Government announcement. Another advised of two diplomatic appointment, one of them – has the woman who landed the post done something wrong? – to protest-troubled and politically volatile Hong Kong. And ...

It’s not often that someone graduates from university one year and becomes a senior economist commentating on national media the next. George Driver investigates the meteoric rise of the high-flying Brad Olsen.Google “senior economist Brad Olsen” and you’ll find him quoted in no fewer than 167 articles in the past ...

As public sentiment turned against Uber Eats, a new local operation emerged promising a more ethical alternative to help New Zealand’s struggling hospitality industry. But now Eat Local NZ has suspended trading after falling out with its Australian partner Mr Yum. So what happened?A dispute between local hospitality platform Eat ...

By Budi Sutrisno in Jakarta As the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died while being arrested in the United States, sparks a global outcry, Indonesian rights advocates and young people have stepped forward to remind fellow citizens that racism has long been an issue at home as ...

Edward Cullen became a vampire to survive the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. Now a new Twilight novel looms and Laura Surynt, a New Zealander living in the UK, wants to live forever too. As I lay in bed this morning watching Instagram stories, Tayi Tibble told my reluctant little Capricorn ...

Over the lockdown period, thousands of people joined a Facebook group dedicated to remembering the nightlife of inner-city Auckland. Its creator Simon Grigg explains why it touched a chord in lockdown.Within a few days of The Lost Nightlife of Inner-city Auckland Facebook page accidentally going live on May 12, we ...

Throughout Anglo colonial states there is a constant habit of defining people who aren’t white as a problem, writes Aaron Smale in this personal essay. It was a balmy summer evening in the capital and cops were standing over a young brown man. I was walking down Courtenay Place on ...

"The countdown clock ticks 2, then 1, then the prime minister raises her drink": dystopia, by Ōtautahi writer Laura Borrowdale. You stand in the centre of the room, and around you, the guests seem to swirl and blend into one. There’s a mouth, gaping and red, filled with laughter. A ...

Martin Luther King Jr said in 1963: “America has given the Black people a bad cheque, a cheque which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds’." Six generations of egregious police violence later, the sentiment out of which those bad cheques were born could be shifting. In the wake of egregious police violence, ...

WATCH: In a candid interview on Sky Sport, Dame Susan Devoy talks on her concern for rising sports stars, the state of NZ squash, and the spectre of racism. Dame Susan Devoy is proudly still “a little terrier who fights for the underdog”. “I have been doing it all my life and ...

Of the huge funding boost coming for early childhood education, Playcentre has been left with just the crumbs, writes Kate Barber. Amidst all the celebration of the $430m funding boost for early childhood education (ECE) announced in this year’s budget, little attention was paid to the plight of Playcentre. The ...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vikrant Minhas, PhD candidate, University of Adelaide Although bacteria are single-celled and microscopically small, they still need energy to survive, just like us. One of the most efficient ways of acquiring energy for bacteria is through sweet, soluble carbohydrates: sugars. In fact, ...

PACIFIC PANDEMIC DIARY:By David Robie Three cartoonists had especially poignant takes on the tragic and toxic political aftermath of martyr George Floyd’s brutal killing under the knee of a white American policeman in Minneapolis last week. The Boston Globe’s Christopher Weyant featured a split frame contrasting a red-capped “Make ...

Are central bankers jealous that epidemiologists are the rock stars of the current crisis?There is talk that both the British and New Zealand central banks might institute negative interest rates as part of the policy response to the Covid shock. While Sweden’s central bank ended its five year experiment ...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Monika Sarder, Senior Strategic Analyst, Monash University Algorithmic decision-making has enormous potential to do good. From identifying priority areas for first response after an earthquake hits, to identifying those at risk of COVID-19 within minutes, their application has proven hugely beneficial. But ...

LISTEN: This week's Extra Time podcast discusses racism in sport and the role of athletes and organisations in making a stand for good. Former Silver Fern and Black Fern Louisa Wall believes today's sports stars must have a social conscience and stand up against discrimination and divisiveness. Sport and politics, once ...

Auckland writer Caroline Barron has a terrific book out today called Ripiro Beach: A Memoir of Life After Near Death. Here, she writes about the memoirs that have been a balm, a lesson, or both. Throughout my life, I’ve sought solace between the covers of books, particularly memoirs. There, I’ve learnt ...

An exclusive interview with Steve McSteverson about his traumatic and tragic ordeal this week.Many New Zealanders are struggling with the news that a children’s book not commissioned or authorised by Jacinda Ardern was advertised in a newsletter for children’s books. This horrific attack on New Zealanders whose ears are permanently ...

Air New Zealand staff are dismayed and angered at the company’s announcement to cut a further $150 million from their wage bill. On Friday, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Greg Foran, made the announcement to employees, who are still ...

The Herald reported this morning that MediaWorks was on the verge of selling its TV assets to US TV giant Discovery – but an internal email and senior source suggest the story may have been premature.A senior MediaWorks source has emphatically denied a report in the NZ Herald that a ...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gery Karantzas, Associate professor in Social Psychology / Relationship Science, Deakin University Life in lockdown has been tough on many relationships. But negotiating the transition back to “normal” as restrictions continue to lift could also be a challenge for couples. So what ...

A slight bounce in the economy is brightening the outlook as the country heads into the winter months, Radio NZ reports. Retail spending is up and NZ shares rose on Thursday for a third day running. Key indicators have led some economists to point to a faster recovery than expected. ...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoff Hanmer, Adjunct Professor of Architecture, University of Adelaide HomeBuilder is a good idea gone bad. It is possibly the most complex and least equitable program the government could have devised to deliver construction jobs. It gives $25,000 to people who already ...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Keller, Professor of Cognitive Science, Western Sydney University The coronavirus pandemic has silenced the world’s concert halls and opera theatres. Organisations specialising in live performance face an existential crisis under current restrictions on social gatherings, with up to 75% of people ...

Finance Minister Grant Robertson, wearing his Sport and Recreation ministerial hat, can show he can be a big spender and draw voters’ attention to his largess each time he dispenses money from the funds under his control – or the control of an agency within his ministerial bailiwick. Yesterday he ...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pi-Shen Seet, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Edith Cowan University Scott Morrison wants to overhaul the skills workforce to ensure a better post-COVID-19 recovery. But there may not be enough people with the necessary skills to do so. And travel restrictions, which ...

As we transition out of a Covid-focused world and prepare for what comes next, New Zealand’s ICT industry is gearing towards growth.From app development helping track the Covid-19 virus to website engineering keeping businesses in touch and online, ICT knowledge has been crucial to keeping New Zealand working over the ...

Analysis: As New Zealand eases restrictions, it no longer has international precedent to look towards and must decide on its own how to reopen the economy while reducing the risk of a second wave of infections, Marc Daalder reports While most of the country eagerly awaits a likely move to ...

Ten days is too long. That from insurance claimant advocate, Ali Jones. EQC has today made contact with homeowners via email after accidentally releasing confidential details of 8000 insurance claims on May 26. Jones says although she has not received ...

The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo (Penguin Classics, $24)Winner of the 2019 Booker Prize. The other day, ...

Simon Day discovers how the voluntary carbon market allows both individuals and companies to offset their emissions at the same time as investing in native forest regeneration.When Celia Wade-Brown sold her first batch of carbon credits earned from the native forest on her Wairarapa farm, she had two customers: Z ...

Simon Day discovers how the voluntary carbon market allows both individuals and companies to offset their emissions at the same time as investing in native forest regeneration.When Celia Wade-Brown sold her first batch of carbon credits earned from the native forest on her Wairarapa farm, she had two customers: Z ...

Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin. The conversation around the 2020 covid19 pandemic has been widely framed as ‘health versus the economy’. It has been quite political, with people leaning to the left emphasising ‘health’, and people leaning to the right emphasising ‘the economy’. A couple of weeks ago ...

Sam Brooks pays tribute to Alex Rider, and the new TV series that (finally) captures the spirit of the books.“What if James Bond was a teenager?”The concept for Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series is so simple but so brilliant. There’s a reason why the franchise has managed to sustain 12 ...

Analysis - The PM resists pressure to move immediately to level 1, Winston Peters' tactics play into the hands of the Opposition and the government at last works out a commercial rent solution, writes Peter Wilson. ...

Source: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – Analysis-Reportage By COHAFrom Washington DC Federal charges against the four protectors of the Venezuelan Embassy, who defended the building in Washington DC against violent opposition crowds for several weeks between April 10 and May 16 of 2019, were completely dropped in a case that ...

Source: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – Analysis-Reportage By COHA Editorial TeamFrom Washington DC The Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) joins the Black Alliance for Peace[1] and other pro-democracy organizations throughout the world in calling for the United Nations to address the systemic violations of human rights by the police and ...

Being shot by police had a profound, transformational effect on Rob Mokaraka’s life in more ways than you’d expect. A new documentary, airing on Māori TV at 7.30pm on Sunday, explores the work he’s done to heal his own mind and to ensure nobody has to go through the same ...

Human rights watchdog TAPOL has condemned the demand by Indonesian prosecutors seeking 17 and five years imprisonment for West Papuan activists Buchtar Tabuni and Irwanus Uropmabin. On June 2, the Jayapura District Prosecutor’s Office issued 33 pages containing charges against the defendant Irwanus Uropmabin. In the document, the Public Prosecutor ...

The arrival of Dan Carter is far from the first time the ever-struggling Auckland team has hoped to turn around its fortunes with a star signing, writes Jamie Wall.New Zealand rugby Twitter is a generally desolate place, especially lately given that there’s been nothing to talk about ever since the ...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Senior Lecturer in New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity US President Donald Trump delivered an address this week in which he threatened military action on the nation. Then he walked to the nearby St John’s Episcopal Church ...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Senior Lecturer and clinical academic gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University Why do we burp? We sometimes also burp before meals, why does this happen? — Ahaana, age 7 That is a really interesting question, Ahaana! There ...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justine Bell-James, Associate Professor, TC Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland After years of litigation, Australia’s highest court will today make a major decision on the fate of the controversial proposed expansion to the New Acland Coal mine in Queensland. ...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Senior Lecturer, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Robodebt isn’t the only measure the government should consider withdrawing. Late last Friday, after a long press conference from the prime minister which avoided any mention of the topic, the ...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Meyrick, Professor of Creative Arts, Griffith University What keeps democracies together? As America burns, Brazilians die and Europe braces for another wave of the coronavirus, the question assumes an alarming immediacy. If the answer is complicated in one way, it is ...